Chapter 66

This chapter is 17th.

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It was probably midnight, with all sounds of the world stilled, and not a single person on the streets.

Li Wenjun opened the courtyard gate and saw a constable standing outside, his face somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him at the county office before. He pointed at the sky with dissatisfaction and said, "Are you kidding me? Don't you see what time it is? Can't whatever you have to say wait until morning?"

The constable smiled apologetically and said, "Young Master Li, the brothers who were escorting the reward money have been traveling day and night and only returned in the early part of the night. Sir is worried that you might be anxious waiting, so he sent me here immediately after signing for the money to invite you over. Young Master Li, let's go, Sir is still waiting."

Li Wenjun didn't think much of it and wasn't afraid that Wu Qi was up to something. He said, "Wait a moment, let me wash my face."

Li Wenjun had the constable wait at the door while he returned to his room, put on his storage bag, and hung the dragon-headed swallow-tailed saber with its scabbard around his waist.

The dragon-headed swallow-tailed saber was a bit long and couldn't fit into the storage bag. Moreover, as a magical artifact, especially a low-level one, it couldn't change size at will. It would always remain the same as when it was made.

Li Wenjun put all his valuable possessions in the storage bag. This way, even if something unexpected happened and he had to run, he wouldn't have to worry about leaving anything behind.

Soon, Li Wenjun came out of the courtyard gate. As he passed by Sun's house, he asked casually, "Can I bring Uncle Sun along?"

The constable said, "Young Master Li, Sir's intention is that you are the one who killed Wang Yonggui and should be the one to receive the reward. There's no need to disturb anyone else. Besides, it's so dark, let's not bother Sun Baicao. We can tell him about it tomorrow, it will be the same."

Li Wenjun felt a sudden unease. He suddenly felt that something was off. When did the government ever worry about disturbing the common people? When they came up with various pretexts to collect taxes and conscript labor, they never said "disturb." Could the government have changed its nature? Adopted a softer approach?

Li Wenjun shook his head. If the government could change its nature, all the vicious dogs in the world would stop eating feces.

There must be something wrong here!

Li Wenjun then thought about the whole process of delivering Wang Yonggui's head to the county office. Before, he hadn't paid much attention and didn't find anything suspicious, but now the more he thought about it, the more he felt there was a lot to it.

The county office's silver treasury couldn't possibly be so poor that it couldn't come up with over a thousand taels of silver. If he remembered correctly, County Magistrate Wu Qi had come up with various pretexts to collect a bounty tax from the entire county before the New Year. Just this one tax could bring in several thousand taels of silver each month. Even after expenses, there should still be a considerable surplus. Wu Qi had no need to fetch silver from the prefectural city.

Moreover, this time, instead of choosing any other time, he specifically chose the middle of the night to have him come to the county office, which was also very unusual.

In the mouths of the people of San County, Wu Qi was never a diligent and hardworking county magistrate. How could he suddenly treat him differently, getting up in the middle of the night just for him to handle his affairs?

Thinking about this, Li Wenjun touched the dragon-headed swallow-tailed saber hanging at his waist, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. This time, if Wu Qi honestly gave him the silver and promised to announce his contributions to the entire county, it would be fine. But if Wu Qi tried to play any tricks, he would make Wu Qi regret ever being born.

Li Wenjun was bold and fearless, knowing that there might be something fishy at the county office, but he still followed the constable to the county office without showing any signs of concern.

The dark gate of the county office was wide open, with no one standing guard outside. Two lanterns emitted a dim yellow light, making the gate look like a beast's mouth, ready to swallow anyone who came near.

The constable made a "please" gesture and said, "Young Master Li, Sir is waiting for you in the second hall. Please come in quickly."

"Is there a trap with executioners inside?" Li Wenjun stood at the door, looked inside, and then asked the constable suddenly.

The constable, whose secret had been exposed, looked flustered. He tried to remain calm and said, "Young Master Li, you are a great hero who has rid the people of a menace. Sir wants to reward you, how could there be a trap with executioners? Young Master Li, please come in quickly, don't let Sir wait anxiously."

Li Wenjun nodded and strode through the gate of the county office. He appeared unconcerned but was actually on high alert. Relying on his eyes, which could see dozens of feet in the dark, he constantly surveyed the areas where people could hide, and his ears were also alert to any suspicious sounds.

As a cultivator at the second level of the Qi Condensation stage, it was difficult for ordinary people to harm him, but difficult didn't mean impossible. If someone had set up a powerful trap in the county office, like the one Wang Yonggui had, it could still cause Li Wenjun a lot of trouble.

Li Wenjun passed through the gate and hadn't taken a few steps when he heard a loud clang as the county office gate closed. He turned around and looked at the constable who had accompanied him, asking, "What does this mean?"

The constable smiled apologetically and said, "The gate was left open to welcome you, Young Master Li. Now that you're here, it's only natural to close it. Don't worry, when you leave, we will certainly open the gate for you, so it won't delay your affairs."

Li Wenjun smiled and nodded, saying, "I hope you're telling the truth. Also, I hope you think about Wang Yonggui's head before you lie to me. If you don't want to join Wang Yonggui, you should learn to be honest."

The constable shivered, feeling as if he was being watched by a predatory beast. Cold sweat broke out on his back. He smiled apologetically and said, "Young Master Li, you're being too suspicious. How could I lie to you? Let's hurry, don't let Sir wait anxiously."

The constable forced a laugh and urged Li Wenjun to hurry, wanting to get him to Wu Qi as quickly as possible to finish his task. Staying with a suspicious Li Wenjun was a matter of life and death.

Li Wenjun followed the constable around the main hall of the county office and arrived at the second hall.

The second hall was dimly lit, with only a silk lamp on the desk, the thin silk blocking more than half of the already dim candlelight.

Wu Qi sat behind the desk, with a row of constables standing on each side of the hall, holding water and fire cudgels, their faces expressionless.

Under normal circumstances, in such dim light, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to see the constables' faces clearly. However, Li Wenjun's situation was special, and he could see the faces of all the constables very clearly. He didn't recognize any of them. The few constables he had seen when he delivered Wang Yonggui's head were not among them.

This was very unusual. The number of constables in the county office was fixed. If one or two were missing, it could be understood, but it was impossible for all of them to be absent, which was not logical.

There was indeed something fishy going on here.

Thank you to Kongkong Wujian, Lunhui Yi, Shuyou 140201200003409, and Yinnu Bajian Weiziziyi for your support. Thanks.

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